Dirigible headlight



H. E. BEASLEY AND W. BYRD.

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT. APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1921.

1,425,439. Pat nted Aug. 8, 1-922.

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WITNESSES- ATTORNEYS H. E. BEASLEY AND W. BYRD. DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT. APPlICATION FILED MAY10,1921.

1,425,4 9, Patented Alig. 8, 1922?.

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WITNESSES INVENTORS in flqfieytfi alslfy ux TE ATTORNEYS H. E. BEASLEY AND W. BYRD.

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT. APPLICATION men MAYIO, 1921.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922*.

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WITNESSES l1 TTOH IVEYS v wi l? HARRY EXETER IBEASLEY AND WALTER BYE-D, O13 VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

DIRIG-IBLE HEADLIGHT.

Application filed May 10,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY E. BEASLEY and lVALTnR Brno, both subjects of the King of England, and residents of Victoria, B. Q, Canada, have invented a new and Improved Dirigible Headlight, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in dirigible headlights, and is more particularly predicated to improvements in structure over our prior Patent 1,204,930 dated November 1st, 1916.

It has been found with regards to this prior patent that the controller may be improved, to simplify the construction of the same, and also to insure a more efficient operation thereof, so that the device is rendered more attractive from a commercial standpoint, in that the cost of manufacture is reduced, a positive operation assured, and that the application of the device to avehicle such as a locomotive is simplified.

Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide certain improvements in connection with the actuating mechanism for the lamp, and which will further insure the efliciency of operation.

Still further objects of our invention will become apparent from the attached specification taken in connection with the drawings, which latter present one practical embodiment of the same, and in which;

Figure 1 is a partly fragmentary side view of the front end of a locomotive showing our device associated therewith.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same;

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 3-8 and in the direction of the arrows indicated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is av sectional side view taken along the line &-l: and in the direction of the arrows indicated in Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a similar sectionalview taken along the line 55 and in the direction of the arrows indicated in Figure 3.

Our invention is primarily int-ended for use in connection with a locomotive head light, and thus in the embodiment illustrated, we have shown the same associated with a device of this nature.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the reference numeral 10 indicates the boiler of a locomotive which, in the usual manner mounts, adjacent its forward end a smoke stack 11, and is supported by any desirable type of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented An 8, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 168,442.

truclr 12, to each side of which the lower ends of. the cylinder saddle 13 extend.

The truck caries an element presenting apair of fixed spaced operating fingers 14, which obviously swing with the truck, as the same follows thetraclrs upon a curve in the rails. The contact lingers let co-operate with the outer ends of valve stems 15, the inner end of vhich extends into a controlling cylinder 16, and with a view of regulating the co-operation of the valve stems, and contact fingers, we preferably employ contact shoes 17 such as have been illustrated in Figure 4, it being noted that these contact shoes are secured to each of the valve stems l5, preferably by means of screw threads, and are held immovable in this position by any suitable means such as lock nuts 18.

Thus the operating cylinder 16 being carried by the cylinder saddle 13 by means of a bracket 19, it will be appreciated that the degree of throw which the contact fingers A are capable of imparting to the valve stems 15 may be accurately regulated by means of the contact shoes 17 Mixed to the outer end of the latter. 1

Referring now, more particularly to the details of the controlling cylinder it will be seen that the same includes a body portion presenting a preferably centrally located chamber 20, which chamber provides a pair of outlet ducts 21, the flow of fluid through which is controlled by means of the valves affixed to the valve stems 15. and an intake opening 23 in free communication with the chamber 20. The valve stems 15 may preferably mount rings 2% which serve to prevent an accidental displacement of fluid, and beyond these rings 2f, the valve stems are each formed with a reduced portion 25 from which grooves 26 or other suitable means extend to a point adjacent the rear of the valve 22, and in line with the outlet duct 21 so that fluid may normally flow from the outlet duct through the grooves 26, reduced portion 25 and exhaust openings 27 of the cylinder.

In normal operation, the fluid utilized will preferably be air, and accordingly the intake opening 23 will communicate through a pipe 28, to an air reservoir (not shown). Also pipes 29 communicate one with each of the outlet openings 21 and serve to communicate one with each end of a controlling cylinder 30.

This cylinder is preferably mounted upon a base 31 which latter rota-tably mounts a turn table 32, serving to support headlight 33 of any desirable type, and a rod 34 has one of its ends slidably secured to a pin 35 attached to the turn table 32, the opposite end of said rod extending through a longitudinal slot 36 in the cylinder 30 and is l the heads of the cylinder 30 so that the rod 8st is normally positioned at a point intermediate the extremities of the cylinder, and consequently retains the turn table 32 in a position at which the headlight 33 will be directlyin line with the path of straightway travel 011 the part of the vehicle.

Assuming however that the vehicle is ne gotiating a curve it will be obvious that the truck 12 carrying the contact fingers 14: will swing with respect to the cylinder saddle l3, and this will result (according to the curvature of the track) in a more or less pronounced moven'ient of one of the valve stems l5 incident to the contact shoe 17 thereof being engaged by one of the contact lingers alcre mentioned. This movement will result in a seating of the valve carried by the stem and will obviously permit air :trom the res ervoir to flow through the pipe 28, through the intake opening 23, past the unseated valve and into the corresponding out-let pipe 29. Accordingly air pressure will be admit ted to one side of the piston 37 and the latter will be moved to an extent corresponding to the amount of air admitted; This move ment will be transmitted to the turn table 32 by means oi? the rod and the headlight 33 will accordingly be swung to direct its beam to a point at which the path of travel being followed, as well as a great portion,

of the curve forming a continuation of the same will be illuminated.

Immediately upon the vehicle reaching a straight-way portion of track, or a curve in the opposite direction it will be obvious that the contact finger will move out of engagement with the shoe 17, with which it is co-operating. The air pressure will immediately seat the valve 22 and incident to the fact that the piston 37 is endeavoring to return to its normal, i. e. centralposition, it will be appreciatedthat the air pocketed within one end'of the cylinder 30 will be permitted to escape, and will flow back through the pipe 29, outlet ducts 21, through the grooves 26, reduced portion 25 and discharge openings 27, thus immediately. permitting a return to normal-on the part oi the turn table.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that we have constructed a dirigible headlight which, although incorporating the main principle involved in our prior patent aforementioned, presents certain structural improvements thereover, which structure tends to simplifythe entire system, reduce the cost of manufacture, and alsoto add to the eificiency of the device. i

It will further be appreciated that our invention is susceptible to a number ofditlerent adaptations and that structural modifications of the same maybe resorted to without departing from the scope of our claims, which are:

1. A dirigible headlight including means for oscillatinga headlight an operating cylinder for moving said means, said operating cylinder providing a central chamber formed with an intake opening, discharge openings in said operating cylinder, said cylinder being also provided with outlet openings, valves mounted within said cylinder and arranged betwe'en said intake and discharge openings, valve stems secured to said valves and projecting beyondthe ends ofsaid cylinder, saidvalve stems being formed with a reduced portion, and groovesnormally permitting communication between said outlet openings and the discharge openings forming a part of said cylinder. g

2. A dirigible headlight including a rotatably mounted turn-table, said turn-table being adapted to receiveahe'adlight, a cylinder positioned adjacent to said turn-table, a pis- .ton'slidably mounted Within said cylinder, springs interposed between the ends of said piston and the heads of said cylinder, stop pins also extending Within said cylinder and limiting the movementof the piston, and means for connecting said piston with said turntable.

HARRY EXETER BEASLEY. WALTER BYRD. 

